RAPID: Sociotechnical Systems under Stress

RAPID：压力下的社会技术系统

• 批准号: 1447234
• 负责人: Louise Comfort
• 金额: $ 3.41万
• 依托单位: University of Pittsburgh
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-08-01 至 2015-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1447234&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Sociotechnical; Systems; under; Stress

This study makes an important contribution to workplace safety and economic security in managing risky, dangerous, yet essential operations in industries such as offshore oil exploration, shale gas drilling, nuclear power generation, as well as mining for the United States and the rest of the world. Such industries, vital to the continued exploration of new sources of energy and economic efficiency for the United States as a nation as well as a global trading partner, nonetheless create risk to workers, plant operators, and neighboring communities that potentially multiply the costs of error many times over. Reducing the risk of error can be done effectively through the development of a complexity index to measure the degree of strain placed on the performance of large-scale, technical systems by unexpected disruptions. Such an index also measures the impact of strain on the stability of the managing organization and its ability to adapt to sudden, unexpected threats more effectively and resiliently. Timely, accurate measurement of risk enables decision makers to manage resources and personnel in complex technical systems, marshal needed expertise, and communicate to relevant audiences more effectively. Developing improved measures of tension between strain and stability occurring within complex, sociotechnical systems provides an index of resilience that enhances not only economic productivity, but also increases the innovation and creativity of U.S. industry. Mismanagement of complex, sociotechnical systems, in contrast, leads to large losses in lives, property, and economic security as witnessed by the May 13, 2014 mining disaster in Soma, Turkey; the 2011 nuclear breach in Fukushima, Japan, and the 2010 BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Reducing the risk of large-scale, sociotechnical disasters through informed management of resources, knowledge, trained personnel and timely communication represents a substantive investment in economic security for U.S. industry and continuing global trade.This study will develop a prototype complexity index to measure the rate of evolving strain vs. adapting stability in complex, sociotechnical systems operating in rapidly evolving conditions. The two functions of strain and stability will be measured as a joint distribution that will serve as profile of resiliency for the system. The complexity index will create a metric to indicate the current status of the sociotechnical system as it is exposed to recurring risk, while indicating, simultaneously, the status of reserve capacity available within the larger operational system that can be mobilized to counter emerging threats. A critical factor in the sustainability of a sociotechnical system's operation is its capacity to adapt to threatening or damaging conditions. A prototype complexity index, designed to identify the structure of a technical system's operation as well as its range of tolerance to varying levels of demand, represents a fresh means of measuring the rate of adaptation to recurring risk for sociotechnical systems under stress. The index will measure the functions of strain and stability at different scales of operation in reference to the overall system's capacity for innovative response, based on the resources, skill, and knowledge of its managing organization. Well designed, a complexity index may be adapted to measure strain vs. stability in other sociotechnical systems operating in rapidly evolving conditions of risk. This practical measure of resilience contributes to addressing management problems in both technical and organizational systems. Findings will contribute to the research literature on managing sociotechnical systems under stress.

这项研究为管理海上石油勘探，页岩气钻探，核能发电以及美国和世界其他地区的采矿等行业的风险，危险但必不可少的操作，为工作场所安全和经济安全做出了重要贡献。 这些行业对美国作为一个国家和全球贸易伙伴继续探索新能源和经济效率至关重要，但却给工人、工厂经营者和邻近社区带来了风险，可能会使错误的成本成倍增加。通过制定复杂性指数来衡量意外中断对大规模技术系统性能造成的压力程度，可以有效地降低出错风险。这种指数还衡量了压力对管理组织稳定性的影响，以及管理组织更有效和更有弹性地适应突发、意外威胁的能力。 及时、准确的风险度量使决策者能够管理复杂技术系统中的资源和人员，汇集所需的专业知识，并更有效地与相关受众沟通。 开发复杂的社会技术系统中发生的紧张和稳定之间的紧张关系的改进措施提供了一个弹性指数，不仅可以提高经济生产力，还可以提高美国工业的创新和创造力。相反，对复杂的社会技术系统的管理不善会导致生命、财产和经济安全的巨大损失，2014年5月13日土耳其索马矿难、2011年日本福岛核泄漏和2010年英国石油公司墨西哥湾漏油事件就是明证。通过对资源、知识、训练有素的人员和及时的沟通进行明智的管理来降低大规模社会技术灾难的风险，这是对美国工业和持续的全球贸易的经济安全的实质性投资。本研究将开发一个原型复杂性指数，以衡量在快速变化的条件下运行的复杂社会技术系统中的应变演变率与适应稳定性。 应变和稳定性的两个函数将作为联合分布来测量，该联合分布将用作系统的弹性的轮廓。 复杂性指数将建立一个衡量标准，以表明社会技术系统面临经常性风险的现状，同时表明更大的业务系统内可调动以应对新出现的威胁的现有储备能力的状况。社会技术系统能否持续运作的一个关键因素是其适应威胁性或破坏性条件的能力。 一个原型复杂性指数，旨在确定结构的技术系统的操作以及其范围内的容忍度不同程度的需求，是衡量适应率的压力下的社会技术系统的经常性风险的一种新的手段。该指数将根据管理组织的资源、技能和知识，参照整个系统的创新反应能力，衡量不同规模运作的应变和稳定功能。如果设计得当，复杂性指数可以用来衡量在迅速变化的风险条件下运作的其他社会技术系统的紧张与稳定。这一衡量复原力的实际措施有助于解决技术和组织系统的管理问题。调查结果将有助于研究文献管理压力下的社会技术系统。